


Retaining Absolution

by TheSkyIsALie



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Amnesia, Bonding, Cuddling & Snuggling, Flirting, Fluff, Folklore, Getting Together, Grinding, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Memory Loss, Norwegian Mythology & Folklore, Panic Attacks, Romance, Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-04-08 15:00:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkyIsALie/pseuds/TheSkyIsALie
Summary: After Tim cuts communication with the family during a solo mission abroad, Jason and Dick take it upon themselves to retrieve their younger. However, the condition they find Tim in is certainly not the same as when he left - but what can they do to help him heal?





	1. Reintroductions

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of a 2-3 part story. Thank you to everyone who has been waiting for this (as few as that may be).
> 
> Please enjoy!

It was dark when they arrived - the moon bright in the night sky and the air crisp, clear and freezing. The winds of that day had settled early in the evening, leaving smooth dunes and planes in the thick blanket of snow. Tall pine trees surrounded the clearing, coated with the same snow and looming over the structure that was the lonesome log cabin - eerily silent and still.

“The lights’re on.” Jason observed, eyeing the gentle rise of smoke from the cabin’s chimney and soft, warm glow of the inner illumination reflected on the untouched bed of snow beneath the windows. “So at least he ain’t dead.”

“He’s been here for almost a week without contacting anyone, Jay.” Dick huffed, irritated with the bitter cold and worry for his younger brother that had been settled deep within his stomach since before they set out to find him. “Timmy isn’t one to abandon a mission without a very good reason.”

“I’m just sayin’ at least he’s alive.” was Jason’s reply, a subtle roll of his eyes accompanying the pettish huff of breath. It had been a long trip for the two brothers - both having spent more time in each other’s company than either were used to, and both beginning to grow weary of the clashes between them when coupled with the overbearing weight of worry for their younger’s well-being.

“Yes, but he could be seriously injured.” Dick grumbled out, leaving his brother’s side to turn back to the snowmobiles they had each taken for the trek to the cabin - unloading a few of the more portable bags from the vehicle's trunk before passing by his brother again as he approached the wooden building. “C’mon, the sooner we find out what’s been holding Tim up, the sooner we can fix it and get him back to Gotham.”

There was no doubt their younger brother had heard the noise of the snowmobiles’ engines upon their approach, and so would likely be expecting their entry any moment. Dick had no intention of keeping Tim waiting any longer - destroying the clean covering of glistening snow in the cabin’s clearing as he approached, Jason close behind.

Standing on the roofed porch beside the tall stack of firewood and little hanging lamp, however, neither brother received the welcome they had been expecting. At first, Dick had tried the handle of the front door, half expecting the entryway to be readily unlocked for them - but upon finding the metal firmly immovable, he knocked.

The cabin remained silent, only the distant call of a night owl echoing through the forest disrupting the quiet of night. Dick knocked again, this time barely leaving pause for a reply before calling through the wood of the door,

“Timmy? You know we can get in even if you don’t answer the door. I’m gonna give you another thirty seconds to open up for us before I pick the lock.”

Movement could finally be heard upon the mild threat - the quiet shuffle of material and soft scrape of metal, the muffled thumping of feet on hardwood flooring and then the rattle of a chain and snick of a metallic lock. The door was yanked open with considerable force, seemingly having frozen to the solid wood of the frame after however many days of disuse; and there Tim stood - looking thankfully uninjured if not a little shaken, paler than he had been when last his brothers had seen him and considerably underdressed for the occasion of opening the door to the freezing night air.

“Timmy, baby, what happened?” Dick asked, all signs of the bitter irritation that had been about him for the passed few days immediately melting away upon the sight of their younger before them, seemingly well. Jason stayed back to allow Dick through the door first, watching his brother fold around Tim in a protective hug, heedless of the cold that still clung to him and the younger’s scant clothing. “You’ve been out of contact for almost a week - and your last message made us worried. Did something happen, baby? Are you alright?”

Jason seemed to notice it before Dick had the chance - the middle of the three brothers catching a glimpse of Tim’s shaken expression over the eldest’s shoulder as he closed the front door in the wake of their entry.

“Who are you?” Tim asked, delicate hands wedging between Dick’s body and his own and pushing the elder off of him steadily. The usual calculating glint in Tim’s eyes was missing - the icy blue instead filled with a cautiousness that came with not a wariness born from intelligence, but fear.

“What?” was Dick’s first reply, ever the master of eloquence. Jason couldn’t help but roll his eyes, though his building worry did not subside.

“I don’t know you.” Tim continued immediately, taking a step back to add a little more distance between himself and these apparent strangers. His gaze was constantly switching between Jason and Dick, as if he could not decided which posed the greater threat, and his hands were twitching at his sides - an inbuilt instinct to act in the face of fear, whether he could remember learning it or not.

“Timmy, we’re your brothers.” Dick’s voice was halted, hurt - the elder so obviously at a loss for how to react to the situation. Tim was clearly slowly growing closer to panic, and though both brothers knew they should be immediately attempting to calm him, to explain to Tim exactly what was going on in that moment was simply not possible, as neither knew the full story themselves. And neither Jason nor Dick had the time to attempt figuring out what information Tim was so clearly _missing_ with the younger’s body shaking and breathing quickening at the rate it was.

“No, you’re not.” Tim argued, voice breathy as he ran a trembling hand through his hair and stepped back another few paces. “You don’t look anything like me - you don’t even look like each other. You’re lying to me and I don’t know you. Please just leave.”

Both Jason and Dick stood their ground, each struggling to make themselves seem as unintimidating as possible, but still firm enough to warrant Tim conceding to their stay.

“We’ve jus’ traveled halfway ‘cross the world ta find ya, darlin’.” Jason spoke for the first time since Tim had opened the door, the deep timber and dirty drawl of his voice seeming to spark something in Tim, who looked over with wide, unsure eyes.

“You’re from Gotham.” the youngest stated after a long moment of both brothers watching the cogs working in his head, his voice now a little more sure - though he had yet to loose the breathy quality that came with his panic.

“Aye, darlin’, we both are. Dickie’s just been raised too far from my dirty streets ta have half the accent - same as you.” Jason risked a tentative step forward, moving around Dick and closer to Tim, who acknowledged the movement with a flicker of those pretty, baby blues but did not react to it.

“Same as me?” he only asked, pale fingers fiddling with the hem of the large t-shirt he wore, the soft material curling and uncurling in the movements of his hands - too large to be his own, too worn to be Damian’s and not the right shape to be Bruce’s. It must have belonged to himself or Dick at one point.

“Yer from Gotham, ain’t ya?” Jason confirmed, keeping his voice steady and soothing, watching for Tim’s slight jerk of the head in confirmation as he took another steady step forward. This time, Tim took one back - pale thighs bumping against the arm of the sofa that sat in the centre of the room. Jason continued speaking regardless.

“Somethin’ musta happened fer you ta forget us, Timmy. We ain’t gonna hurt ya, yeah? We came ta take ya back home, but instead we’re gonna stay here ‘til ya remember whatever it is ya’ve forgotten.” Jason took the opportunity to move forward again, holding out a steady hand for Tim to take should he accept the elder’s offer.

Tim’s eyes flitted from Jason to Dick and back again, chewing on the pretty pink of his bottom lip in both nervousness and thought. Both brothers remained silent as Tim considered them, holding their breath in anticipation as neither had any sort of a plan to further convince their younger should he refuse them.

Finally, Tim drew in a deep breath, releasing it shakily before steadily reaching out to place his palm facedown in Jason’s and watching as the elder’s much larger hand wrapped securely around it.

“Okay.” the youngest spoke, keeping his eyes downcast to their joined hands instead of meeting either Jason’s or Dick’s eyes, “I’ve been spending a week trying to figure out what I was doing alone in the middle of a Scandinavian forest, anyway.”

The soft, slightly reluctant smile Tim graced his two elder brothers with when he finally looked up had Dick stuttering abruptly for breath and Jason fighting the urge to pull Tim closer. They both smiled back.  
___

Tim had allowed for the brothers to settle into the cabin for the night - as snow had begun to fall gently once more and the supplies the two had brought would surely freeze should they be left for any extended amount of time out in the cold.

Jason had collected the remaining luggage from their snowmobiles while Dick busied himself preparing hot drinks for the three of them; tea for Jason, hot chocolate for himself and a coffee for Tim - the eldest taking care to craft Tim’s drink exactly to his tastes, if only to serve as subtle confirmation that they did know who their younger was.

Tim remained seated beside the fireplace on a large floor cushion, his legs crossed beneath him and watching Jason come in and out with various items of luggage and Dick move about in the cabin’s kitchen area. The exact degree of how much of himself Tim had forgotten remained one of the many topics they still had yet to breech - though it was obvious enough that the younger’s detective mind was still at work.

Dick had caught glimpses of Tim’s studying - pretty blue eyes focused on movements and mannerisms and interactions between the brothers. It was clear he had been attempting to decipher the exact familiarity between Jason and Dick - whether the two actually were brothers, or even knew each other much at all. He was still suspicious of their possible lies; which was understandable - logical even, but still stirred a slight pang of hurt within the eldest.

Not that such a thing mattered. This wasn’t about Dick’s feelings - it was about helping Tim.

By the time Jason had finished his tasks and Dick had brought more firewood in from the log shed in the porch, their drinks had cooled enough to drink comfortably. Dick and Jason sat together on the sofa, facing the roaring fireplace and Tim’s attentive gaze - only the slim wood of the coffee table between them.

“You wanna start off by telling us what you remember?” Dick offered after a few seconds of silence had passed. Tim took a moment to think, little hands cradling the warmth of his coffee mug as his toes curled and uncurled in the fluffy covering of his floor cushion.

“No,” he shot down, eyes flickering back to his beverage as he took a sip. Jason preformed a terrible job of hiding his smile behind his own mug - as apparently the little competition the two elders had always kept up involving Tim had not lessened in the face of the youngest’s memory loss. “I want you two to tell me what you know about me, first. You haven’t convinced me that we’re related, yet, and I feel like I shouldn’t be putting my trust into just anyone I meet.”

Dick offered Tim a smile, accepting the youngest’s hesitancy for what it was. It seemed the instincts they had all had trained into them from an early age was one of the things Tim had not lost, at least.

“Then how’s about this...” Jason began, setting his tea down on the coffee table to reach into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out the same WayneTech smartphone the rest of the family had. He took a second to unlock the screen, tapping about for a moment before presenting the gadget to the youngest, Tim watching the entire time attentively. “Photos.”

“That’s the same phone as I have.” Tim observed, not taking the phone from the elder’s hands and instead simply studying the image on the screen. It was a photograph of himself and Jason with an Asian woman with dark hair and a sweet smile. The three were pulled together to fit in the photo, Jason’s grin wide and mischievous and the woman’s expression content. Tim studied his own face in the picture - he looked tired but happy enough, and he found himself suddenly sure that the two put together were not unusual things for him to be.

“Aye, it is, darlin’. You invented it, tha’s why - we’ve all got one.” Jason hummed, retracting the phone after a moment to flip to another photo.

“I did?” Tim sounded so surprised, eyes lighting up a little before he admitted, “I haven’t gotten into mine - I can’t remember the passcodes.”

“We’ll help you break into it. There’s a few back access routes to all our phones that the family knows in case of emergencies.” Dick smiled, moving himself closer to the arm of the sofa as he spoke. “Now, why don’t you come and sit up here? We can show you some more photos and see if anything comes back to you that way.”

Tim chewed his lip again, quietly contemplating the possible dangers of joining the other two before giving in with a soft hum and standing to move around the coffee table and curl himself into the centre of the sofa.

Immediately, as if by instinct, both Jason and Dick moved closer to Tim - boxing their younger between the two of them until he was pressed lightly against their sides. Tim opened his mouth to protest - request space from the other two and move away completely if they refused - but he found himself relaxing at the contact, body easing to sit comfortably and familiarly in a way he hadn’t been able to while he had been alone.

He looked up, seeking information from the brothers - whether they had noticed his movements, or even their own - only to be interrupted by Dick thrusting his phone in the youngest’s face again.

“You recognise anyone, baby?” the eldest asked, brushing away a lock of hair that had fallen into Tim’s eyes while the younger had been distracted. Again, the movement was so familiar it took Tim a moment to process it (and to stop himself from leaning in to it) as he took in the image he was being shown.

He could see himself stood further to the back, Dick closest to the camera and obviously the one taking the photo - Jason was nowhere he could find, but that Asian woman with the happy smile was pulled into the side of a slightly younger looking blonde girl. The four were stood in a brightly lit room - a kitchen or bathroom if the white tiles on the walls could serve as any indication, though most of the photo was taken up by their faces.

“I recognise myself - and you, obviously.” he began before pointing to the woman he had noticed, “She was in the photo Jason showed me, too.”

“Cass?” Dick clarified, retracting the phone a short distance to look at the photo again himself, “She’s our sister.”

“She looks quite a bit like me - are we related?”

“Nah, darlin’, Cass’s adopted like the rest a’ us. You ‘n her lookin’ similar’s jus’ a coincidence - you’re not even from the same country.” Jason hummed, slinging an arm over the back cushion of the sofa and curling it around Tim’s shoulder’s without actually touching the younger. Tim didn’t see the satisfied smirk Jason shot Dick’s way when the youngest sank a little closer to the other’s side. 

“What country am I from?” he asked, instead.

“You’re American, but you’re half South Korean on your mum’s side.” Dick answered, flicking to another image from the same photo set - this time with another, younger looking man stood behind the two girls. “Cass is Chinese.” He then turned his phone screen back to Tim.

“The blonde girl is Stephanie - she’s one of your best friends and dating Cass. Steph isn’t actually a part of the family, though she’s around so much she might as well be.” Tim hummed, taking in the faces he was being shown, “And the kid in the back is Damian. He’s our youngest and our dad, Bruce’s, only biological kid - not that that makes any difference.”

“Dami used ta be a real brat when he first showed up. You ‘n him took ferever ta start gettin’ along.” Jason spoke, and it was only with the feel of the elder’s breath against his hair that Tim realised how much he’d turned to lean back into him, though he couldn’t bring himself to move. “He’s grown up now, though, ‘nd the whole tyrin’ ta be the best son thing’s been mostly forgotten.”

The boy in the photograph was tall and muscular, so clearly standing far above Tim and probably taller than Dick, as well.

“Why are you all so _tall_?” the youngest couldn’t help but ask, then - voice just bordering on whiny. Both Dick and Jason barely contained their laughter. “Really - if there’s four brother’s and Cass in the house-”

“Cass spends most a’ her time in China, darlin’. She only comes home fer a few months each year.” Jason corrected, still smiling.

“Four brother’s and our dad, then, right?” Tim huffed, still not seeming happy, “And I’m the shortest one in the family?”

“By far, baby, look.” Dick produced another photo, this time with himself, Jason, Tim and Damian stood beside each other against a plane wall painted a deep burgundy. Dick, Damian and Tim were dressed in varying sorts of fine tailored suits - each looking expensive if not a little uncomfortable - while Jason was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, appearing out of place but much happier.

Tim was stood between Dick and Damian, with Jason at the eldest’s other side - and Tim looked _small_ , only reaching Dick’s chin, Damian’s collarbones and Jason’s chest, his thin frame not matching any of his brother’s broad shoulders and muscular builds.

“I look like Goldilocks.” Tim huffed after a moment of studying the image, finding himself not even half as irritated with the realisation as he had thought he should be. The joke seemed to take a moment to click with the two brothers, but then Jason was laughing _loudly_ and Dick was snickering into his hand. Tim puzzled over the warmth in his stomach at the noise for a moment, before simply deciding that he had clearly been reacting too familiarly with these two brothers for him _not_ to know them.

Yes, Tim decided, he could trust them.

The night drew on from there for the three brothers - Jason and Dick rattling off the tales that accompanied the photographs they showed Tim, introducing their younger to the digital image of their adoptive father and grandfather, auntie and family friends.

Explaining their vigilante lives had been somewhat more of a challenge - though the name ‘Batman’ had sparked a vague memory in Tim, who had remained skeptical until he had been steadily swayed with photos of the cave and their family in varying states of dress in their respective costumes.

The fire had begun to die by the time the brothers all drew sleepy, each cracking wide yawns and steadily shifting about to sink further and further into the plush cushions of the sofa.

“We should all get to bed.” Dick mumbled after an extended lull in the conversation, eyes closed and clearly as close to sleep as the other two. “Dunno where we’re gonna sleep, though.”

“The bed’s huge.” Jason’s voice was barely above a whisper, his head leant to the side to rest on the sofa’s back cushion. “When I was takin’ all a' our bags up earlier I went in. There’s only one bed, but it’s plenty big enough fer the three a’ us.”

Dick cracked an eye open, turning his head slightly to look at his brother and then down to Tim, who had snuggled himself into Jason’s lap completely and was now curled into the elder’s chest, eyes closed and breathing softly.

“Would Timmy be alright sleeping with us?” the eldest mused after a moment’s pause, trying to consider the position of their younger. Long conversations had drawn Tim to believe his brothers, and longer still had allowed the younger to be comfortable with them - but to be falling asleep with people he probably still didn’t feel as though he knew too well may put him on edge. Jason only snorted,

“Li'l darlin’s already asleep.” he huffed with a small grin, “He’s been droolin’ on my hoodie fer the passed half ‘n hour.”

“Oh my god, really?” Dick asked, suddenly finding new energy within himself as he rolled off of the sofa, padding the few paces to his youngers and crouching to peep at Tim.

Their younger was soft in sleep, cheeks pink from the steady warmth from the fireplace and his heated pillow that was Jason - long, dark lashes fluttering as he dreamed and plush little lips parted and drooling slightly over the man he lay on.

“He’s so cute,” Dick gushed, careful to keep his voice down but unable to stop himself from speaking, “I wish he was like this more when he’s awake.”

“Then it wouldn’t be as special when he’s sleepin’.” Jason replied, finally shifting to steadily move Tim into his arms without waking the younger, ensuring he had a steady hold on Tim before lifting the other up and standing from the sofa. “C’mon, then - let’s get ta bed. We best start makin’ some phone calls home tomorrow ‘nd start workin' on gettin’ Timmy ta remember as much as we can before we think about headin’ back.”

“Yeah,” Dick sighed, following after Jason as the younger lead the way up the stairs, Tim cradled snuggly against his chest, “guess there’s always work to do. Still, at least it’s a nice place to be stuck - we’ve both been needing a vacation for a while.”

Jason only huffed, flashing a quick smile over his shoulder at his brother as he deposited Tim on the bed. It was true, the middle of Scandinavian nowhere was a nice place to be for a while away from the constant comotion that was Gotham - though they still had their younger to worry about, as a vigilante’s job was never done.


	2. Forgotten Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim starts asking questions he's not sure he wants answers to, and Jason provides comfort where comfort is needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a little longer than originally anticipated, but with some family issues and a couple of distractions followed by my laptop breaking I was, unfortunately, held back from finishing this for a short while.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Tim woke to warmth - comfortable in a way he had no memory of being before and buried deep beneath a pillowy duvet, wrapped in a heat that was definitely not self-produced. A hand was rested against his stomach, curled into a loose fist and thumb rubbing soft, smooth circles into the skin of his abdomen.

His t-shirt had ridden up in his sleep - the soft material now bunched around his waist - allowing him to easily feel the heat of the body pressed to his back; the cottony feel of pajama trousers against the backs of his naked thighs and the steady breath on the nape of his neck.

“You awake, baby?” Dick’s voice was hushed and gravily from sleep, his body shifting ever so slightly as he spoke. Tim hummed an affirmation as his mind worked sleepily to catch up with what had happened, remembering the previous night through tired memories. The younger moved, then - pushing the duvet from his face to peer out across the bed and the room behond it.

“W’re’s Jas’n?” he managed in a whisper, hiding himself back beneath the covers as soon as he’d figured out that his other brother was not in the bed as well.

“He’s already up,” Dick replied with a slight chuckle, “making us breakfast like the good little housewife he is.”

“He’s bigger th’n you.”

Dick laughed again, moving away from Tim to roll onto his back and stretch out, his spine popping satisfyingly as he did. The two of them lay there for a moment in a content silence - Tim still not fully awake and Dick comfortable in the warmth of the sheets and presence of his little brother.

The little wall mounted grandfather clock that hung on the staircase landing chimed the hour, and then Jason was walking in the bedroom, bringing the smell of freshly cooked pancakes with him. Tim shuffled to face the door upon the elder’s entrance, peeping out from beneath the duvet.

“You two gettin’ up any time taday?” Jason asked, folding his arms as he leant against the doorframe. Dick huffed, rolling further away from Tim until he was out of bed completely and pulling a long sleeved shirt over his head. Tim watched, distracted by the view of Dick’s toned muscles stretching out as the elder dressed.

“C’mon, li’l darlin’, you too.” Jason interrupted Tim’s examination, watching their younger - who only furrowed his brow and released a slight whine at the prospect of getting up, pulling the duvet back up and over his head. Jason sighed, “Dick’s gonna eat yer share a’ breakfast if ya don’t get up soon.”

“Shower first.” Tim’s voice came muffled from beneath the bedcover. Dick laughed, amused by the fact that - despite clearly having regained none of his memories overnight - Tim was the same as ever. Jason only huffed, leaving their younger to himself as he lead Dick out of the bedroom.

From the bed, Tim listened to the click of the door closing behind his brothers, allowing himself a moment’s pause to breathe a sigh before crawling from beneath the covers to pad into the ensuite. Accepting the two men’s words had felt like the right thing to do the previous night, and after falling asleep with them both at his sides Tim had felt far more safe and comfortable than he had while alone.

Tim knew Jason and Dick, knew them and trusted them in such an instinctual way that had hit him so hard and sudden he almost couldn’t comprehend it - which was possibly the strangest feeling he had ever felt while he had no memory as to why he felt as such.

He pulled off his sleeping t-shirt, collecting a towel and bathrobe from the airing cupboard and moving to the shower - before pausing upon glance of his reflection in the countertop mirror. 

He still had more questions for the brothers, clearly.

 

In the kitchen, Jason and Dick began their breakfast quietly - neither speaking a word as Dick poured them a coffee each and Jason plated up their breakfasts, though neither were uncomfortable or awkward with the silence. Long minutes passed, the echoed clunk of the water pipes turning on and the ticking of the wall mounted grandfather clock serving as the only noise in the isolated cabin.

“How long d’ya think it’ll take?” Jason finally spoke, fork clicking against the porcelain plate before him as he clarified, “Before Timmy remembers anythin’.”

Dick huffed a sigh, allowing his own fork to drop against the wood of the breakfast bar as he looked up at his brother, pancakes barely eaten.

“We don’t know what caused this, do we? It could be anything from a head injury to some kind of curse, maybe- maybe if it’s just regular amnesia we can get his memories back in a few days if we take the time to walk through everything properly. But, if it is something to do with magic it might take weeks, months…” Dick sighed, “there might even be a spell or a cure for it or a time frame. It might be irreversible.”

“No, Dickie, that ain’t an option right now.” Jason dismissed, knowing full well how hopeless the eldest could get at times when his family’s safety and wellbeing were on the line. “If we find out it’s magic we’ll hunt down a cure - and until then we’re here ta get our boy better.”

Dick sighed again, a silent pause stretching out as he continued to push the pancakes left on his plate around before offering his brother a smile.

“I know, Jay, I’m sorry. I’m just worried - there’s so much stuff Tim will want to ask us and need to know. He said he had feelings about certain things we tell him, right? So he knows when what we tell him is right, like he’s rereading a book he knew when he was a kid but forgot the story of?”

“Yeah..?” Jason offered, a little unsure as to where Dick’s point was going.

“So, does he already have an idea about his parents? Or about what his childhood was like? Does he have a feeling about what his relationships with us were like? Can he remember what we-” Dick cut himself off upon a quiet creak on the stairs that was followed by the soft sound of bare feet on wooden flooring, both brothers turning to the stairs in expectation.

Tim appeared at the base of the staircase - wrapped in a fluffy, white bathrobe, hair wet and skin still pink from the heat of his shower. Both Jason and Dick smiled at the sight of their younger, as Tim remained still and quiet, looking as if he had something to say but no clear way to voice it.

“I have a lot more scars than Dick does.” he finally spoke, brows drawn together and voice quiet. Jason glanced over at Dick, the elder mirroring his brother’s uneasy expression as he pushed his stool away from the breakfast bar to better face Tim.

“You’ve been through more than me.” Dick replied steadily, clearly having been careful in choosing his words.

“How?” Tim took a few steps into the kitchen area - keeping some distance between himself and where his brother’s sat, fingers fiddling with the sash of his bathrobe as he spoke. “Last night you said you started out as a vigilante at ten and I started at twelve. That means you’ve been doing it for... seventeen years, but I’ve only been doing it for eight - how could I have been through more?”

The way Tim spoke, the hint of desperation in his voice and the slight glassy appearance of those pretty blue eyes made it clear that he had already guessed the answers he was about to be given. It was refreshing, in a way, to see Tim physically affected by the events of his life - for the younger to actually show the emotions he usually hid so well from his family. 

“You’ve had a much more complicated life than I did, baby.” Dick struggled to keep his voice even, offering his hand out to his little brother, “Come here - we’ll tell you, alright?”

After a tentative moment’s pause, Tim stepped forward to accept Dick’s hand - pale little fingers being wrapped in his brother’s warm hold as Dick steadily tugged the younger closer and guided him onto the barstool beside him. Upon Tim being seated, Jason prepared a short pile of pancakes for the younger, though it seemed unlikely Tim would actually eat them at that point.

“Do I have more scars than you, too?” the question was directed at Jason as the elder set the plate down before Tim, their younger meeting his brother’s eyes.

“Uh- guess I dunno, darlin’,” Jason admitted after a beat, “we ain’t never counted. Ya’ve prob’ly got more, though - ‘s just that mine’re deeper.” Tim nodded silently.

“There’s a surgical scar on my tummy.” he stated, turning back to Dick but directing his words between both of his brothers. “What happened? Have I lost something?”

Dick could tell, even before their conversation had really begun, that it would be a difficult and emotional morning from then on.

“Your spleen, baby. You had an emergency operation to have it removed after being injured, as far as we understand it.”

“You don’t know?” Tim’s brow furrowed, sounding unsure.

“You never gave us the details, and we weren’t with you at the time. It was- it was when a lot was going on for everyone and we had arguments and fights. Damian hadn’t long shown up and so he took priority for me and I ended up pushing you to the side completely. You were over the other side of the world when you lost your spleen and we didn’t find out until years later.” Dick admitted, voice a little weak at the regretful memories.

“I’m sorry.” Tim said.

“No, darlin’, ya ain’t got nothin’ ta be sorry for. Everythin’ that happened back then is on us - you didn’ do anythin' wrong.” Jason cut off Tim’s apology, though the younger seemed adamant to argue.

“But I should have told you - you’re my family, aren’t you?”

“We weren’t even half as close back then - we’re still working on everything with you now. Jason wasn’t back with us and Bruce was gone at the time. None of that’s an excuse for leaving you behind like I did, though. You lost your sleep because of me, baby, I’m _sorry_.”

Tim didn’t speak for a long moment - though he offered a slight nod before finally looking up at Dick with those large, pretty blue eyes and a soft, forgiving smile. Dick was more than a little stunned at the rush of relief that washed over him - realising that it was the first time he’d been able to apologise to Tim for everything that had happened.

At first, he had denied being in the wrong - staying on Damian’s side during their feud as much as he could while not actively going against Tim. Then, after Damian had matured and calmed, he had grown used to the distance between their second youngest and the rest of the family - not seeing Tim for months or hearing of his life, his missions, his wellbeing.

And finally, he had seen what the withdrawal had been doing to Tim - that the younger’s inability to trust, to rely on others had grown so strong there was barely any room to even being drawing him back.

Dick had despised himself ever since for not thinking of Tim before the situation had been literally thrown in his face. Jason had been in a similar position - though he had never crushed Tim’s trust like Dick had, since there had been nothing but distant ideologies between the two prior to the elder’s revival. 

And yet, despite Dick’s acknowledgement of his mistakes, he had never been able to apologise to Tim. Through the pleas for a second chance and the promises of doing better his sorry’s had been brushed aside - Tim not wanting to hear or unwilling to accept.

But now, sat in the quiet of the kitchen area of the cozy, secluded little log cabin, in the middle of nowhere, Scandinavia - Tim had accepted his apology with barely a moment’s pause. Of course, the reasons behind the acceptance were unfair on Tim’s part - the younger unable to remember why he would refuse, why he wouldn’t want to listen to his brother’s apology.

And as cliche as it may sound, it felt as though the weight of the world had lifted from Dick’s shoulders - even if it was only for the time that Tim could not remember the pain he had felt at the elder’s actions.

“Then-” Tim paused, oblivious to his eldest brother’s sudden and breathtaking swarm of emotions as his eyes flickered between Jason and Dick momentarily, continuing, “what about my back? It’s… probably the worst bit. What happened to my back?”

Dick swallowed thickly, brought back to earth heavily has he struggled to bring himself to meet Tim’s eyes as Jason blew out a long, uneven breath.

“Le’s go sit on the couch, yeah?” he asked after a beat, Dick standing immediately - seemingly thankful for the moment of distraction as he lead Tim into the mainroom, settling down into the cushions and tugging their younger down a moment after. Jason joined them once he had left their breakfast plates to soak in the sink.

“You were kidnapped, darlin’.” Jason began, reading that Dick had no idea how to breach this topic from the look on the elder’s face. “Not as Red Robin - as Tim Drake. They had ya fer weeks and we never knew - they never sent a ransom for ya ‘nd it was when you were with the Titan’s, so you not bein’ in Gotham didn’t get anyone wonderin’.”

Tim watched his brother’s face as Jason spoke, unable to keep his own hands from dipping beneath the neckline of his bathrobe to trace the scars that were long enough to reach the backs of his shoulders.

“We dunno what they did to ya, darlin’. Ya’ve never been able ta talk ‘bout it, even if ya wanted ta tell us - but ya scars speak fer themselves, and I think we can all guess the rest.”

“I was tortured?” Dick took the opportunity to slowly wrap his little brother up in a hug - picking Tim up from beside him and moving the younger onto his lap to hold tightly. Tim allowed the movement, settling into Dick’s arms and grasping the elder’s wrist in a tight hold.

“You were, darlin’, yeah. Yer the only one with the security footage ‘nd the only one that knows ‘xactly what happened back then - but if I’m bein’ honest, ya might be better off if ya never remember it.”

Tim drew in a shaky breath, allowing the information to sink in. He had assumed that something drastic had happened to him in past years, as no one person was covered in scars as detailed or patterned as him without some sort of traumatic story behind them. But torture wasn’t something that had occured to him - perhaps some terrible accident - a terrorist attack or burning building, something involving heavy machinery or- or _something_.

Torture was malicious and hateful and _personal_. Torture meant he was targeted and in danger, meant it wasn’t random and something like that could happen to him at _any moment_.

Tim’s breathing was suddenly stuttering and laboured, his vision dull and head spinning. He could feel the heat of Dick’s thighs beneath him and warm hands on his face, soft voices talking to him though he couldn’t make out the words they spoke. He didn’t feel safe - could only make out the danger and isolation, could only make out the loneliness.

“C’mon, baby, you’re fine. Timmy, you’re safe.”

“Yer with us, li’l darlin’. Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to ya while yer with us.” Their voices were soothing, deep and comforting and familiar - something that brought feelings of safety and warmth back in ways Tim couldn’t describe but could latch on to, use to help him calm, bring him back.

“You with us, Timmy?” Jason’s query was hesitant, startling turquoise eyes soft and worried as he knelt before where Tim still sat in his eldest brother’s lap.

“Y-yeah,” Tim stuttered out, voice more shaky than he had expected as he rubbed a hand over his brow and through his still wet hair. “S-sorry, I-”

“Don’t apologise, baby. Never apologise.” Dick interrupted, voice firm enough to stress his statement but nowhere near enough to startle Tim, “Did you… did you remember something?”

“No, I just- I just freaked out, I suppose. I’m sor-” Tim cut himself off at his own habitual apology, heaving a shaky sigh. “I’m gonna go get dressed, okay? I’ll be back.”

Tim slid quietly from his perch, eyes downcast as he rounded where Jason still knelt on the floor to disappear up the stairs, leaving two disconsolate and worried brothers behind him.  
___

Jason had set a fire not long after lunch, the roaring hearth filling the cabin with a cozy heat that had allowed the brothers to relax a little.

Dick had set himself the task of cracking the codes on Tim’s phone to allow the younger access - curled into the one end of the sofa with his laptop and a steaming mug of coffee while Jason flicked through the two books he had found on folklore and legends of the surrounding lands with the distant hope of finding something relevant to their younger’s condition.

Tim had remained distant since that morning, seeming fussy and sensitive whenever near either of his brothers. The younger had disappeared into the bedroom as soon as they had finished lunch, staying quiet in the room as neither brother disturbed him, both struggling to respect his want for space.

“Do ya think he’s alright ta be on his own?” Jason voiced after the minutes had turned to hours while the brothers worked with no sign of their younger. “He’s jus’ had a panic attack over somethin’ he can’t even remember - I don’t feel right leavin’ him like this.”

“I have no idea, Jay.” Dick huffed after a moment’s consideration, looking up from the screen of his laptop to the closed bedroom door at the top of the staircase. “Tim usually disappears into himself when something happens - but this is a different Tim to the one we’re used to...”

“But he don’t really seem like he wants ta be alone, ya know? More like it’s just what he should be doin’.”

“What’d you mean?” Dick asked, attention drawn at the possibility that maybe they _shouldn’t_ be leaving their younger to his own devices.

“Timmy’s always hidin’ how he’s doin’ from everyone ‘cause that’s what he brought himself up ta do, right? He’s always been puttin’ everyone else in front o’ him, so he don’t let us see how he feels ‘cause he doesn’t want us ta get distracted from anything else ‘nd worry over him.”

“Yeah, but he’s always been like that, even when he’d only just become Robin.” Dick hummed, a little put off by the blatant explanation of Tim’s inferiority complex.

“‘Cause his parents were part a’ the problem, right? But now he ain’t got none o’ the memories that’d make him think or do that - he’s got no reasons why he should be hidin’ from everyone right now.”

“So why is he still hiding?” Jason shrugged.

“He’s prob’ly doin’ it half out of habit - if he knows somethin’s wrong then he feels like he should be alone ‘cause that’s how he usually is, ya know?” Dick nodded, humming a contemplative sound as he mulled over his brother’s words.

“What’s got you so knowledgeable about this, anyway?”

“I was kinda the same after the Pit. I don’t remember much a' it, but most a’ my memories were more feelings of right ‘nd wrong than actual thoughts - the way Timmy’s been actin’ I got a feelin’ it’s not too different fer him.” Jason placed the book he had been reading down on the coffee table, eyes flickering over to the closed bedroom door before heaving a sigh.

“You keep on crackin’ that phone fer Timmy, yeah? I’m gonna go try ta persuade him out the bedroom before I have ta get dinner started.”

“Play nice.” Dick offered, smiling as he returned to his work. Jason laughed,

“When don’t I, Dickie, hmm? When don’t I?”

 

Tim was laying on the bed when Jason entered, flat on his stomach and facing away from the doorway; his shoulders rose and fell in little breaths, but with the ever so slight twitch at the sound of the door being opened, Jason could tell his brother was not asleep.

“You okay there, li’l darlin?” the elder asked, voice slightly hushed in the quiet of the room. Seconds passed in silence, Tim releasing a quiet huff before rolling over on the bed to face his elder brother, looking uncomfortable and bothered.

“Are we close?” he asked in lieu of a reply, voice a whisper as his arms wrapped around his middle, “Like, normally? When I’m… normal?”

“Depends what ya mean by close.” Jason hummed, allowing the subject change as Tim pause a moment in thought.

“You and Dick worry about me. You coddle me a lot and are much more physical with me than you are with each other.”

“‘S that a problem?”

“No, it’s nice. I feel like affection isn’t really… normal for me. Whenever you sit with me or hug me or pull me into your lap I get this rush of warmth that doesn’t feel as familiar as everything else does, like it’s not something I’m used to. It makes me really... happy.”

“Sure is good ta hear that, darlin’.” Jason smiled, warmed by Tim’s sweet honesty as he seated himself on the bed beside the younger’s socked feet. “Took Dickie ‘nd I ferever ta get ya used ta bein’ around us all. I’ve been told that even as a kid you were touch starved, so I can’t imagine ya’d be too used ta it, still.”

“Is that why you’re like that with me? Because you feel bad I was deprived of it when I was young?” Tim’s eyes betrayed the doubt and worry he felt, the fear at being told that he wasn’t actually cared for, only pitied - the same fear that had driven him away from the family and then away from the Titans, the same fear that had sabotaged his entire life.

Jason heaved a sigh, reaching out with a steady hand to brush against Tim’s arm, run his fingers over soft skin and trail the nape of the younger’s neck before smoothing them through long, silky hair. Tim’s pretty blue eyes fluttered shut momentarily at the contact, head tipping back into Jason’s loving touch.

“Dickie and I - the whole family, really - we all feel guilty fer leavin’ ya like we did. We all got our regrets when it comes ta you, darlin’. But treatin’ ya like we do… this kind a’ physical affection? ‘S all ‘cause ya deserve it, ‘cause we wanna treat ya good ‘nd _right_ this time, ya know? Ain’t no pity in this, darlin’, I promise.”

A silence stretched out as Tim seemed to take a moment to absorb his brother’s words before he shifted on the bed, wriggling into a kneeling position as he crawled over to Jason’s side, facing the elder and looking up at him with those large, pretty blue eyes.

“So,” Tim began, running his tongue over plush little lips and catching the hand that had been buried in his hair when Jason went to retract it, cradling it in his lap instead as he continued, “ _are_ we close?”

“Mmm, what’d _you_ think?” Jason hummed, smile in his voice at the pleasing nearness that Tim initiated. He reached out again, not wanting to break the warm, two handed hold the younger had on his right hand, as he cupped Tim’s soft cheek, brushing his thumb over a high cheekbone and leaning closer.

“I thought we were brothers.” the younger’s voice was a whisper, eyes half-lidded and breath hot in the short space between them, cheeks warming beneath Jason’s palm.

“Brothers ‘s a relative term, y’see,” was Jason’s reply, husky and just as quiet, “we’re brothers, yeah - but we’re a lot more, too. We ain’t all familial like we ought ta be - we’re closer than that, darlin’, more _intimate_.”

And the way Tim bodily shivered at the drop in Jason’s voice was not missed by the elder - would have been impossible to miss with how _close_ they were, leant over each other on the bed.

“Have we always been like this?” was what Tim asked next, inching closer to his brother almost instinctively as Jason mirrored him, head tilting to the side for a better angle of access.

“We’ve been leadin’ up ta it fer a while now, trust me.” Jason got out before he was slotting his lips against the younger’s, a muffled whine spilling from Tim at the contact as his eyes fluttered shut.

The kiss barely lasted a few seconds - sweet and gentle in nature as it was, and when Jason pulled back, the flushed and vaguely dazed expression on his brother’s face stole his breath almost more than the kiss had.

“Okay?” he managed out, more than a little stunned by the flutter of long, dark lashes and gaze of those pretty, _pretty_ blue eyes. Tim was gorgeous, always had been - but to suddenly be so close and given the opportunity to properly take it all in was almost too much.

“Perfect.” Tim breathed, a small, content smile tugging at the corners of his lips that had Jason diving straight back in, capturing Tim’s mouth with a little more pressure and a lot more passion, extracting his right hand from Tim’s hold and using it to cup the back of the younger’s skull, tilting his head back.

Tim made a stuttered noise, arms winding round Jason’s broad shoulders as their lips moved together, hot and passionate - Jason flicking his tongue over the younger’s lower lip and Tim scraping his teeth over Jason’s tongue as he allowed the other access.

The need for air was what pulled them away from each other, both moving back for little pecks as Jason settled his hands on Tim’s hips, hoisting the younger up from his perch on the duvet to instead settle him on his thighs. Tim planted another kiss against Jason’s lips - followed by another and then another before he was drawn in again by a large, warm hand on the back of his neck.

They kissed for what could have been hours or mere minutes, the room filled with the sounds of their immersion - Tim’s breathy sighs and Jason’s grunts mixing together in their shared breath. 

Jason slid a hand beneath the hem of the younger’s jumper, feeling along soft, scared skin as Tim hummed at the touch, using the leverage he had while knelt atop the elder’s lap to push forward until he had Jason toppling back onto the bed, following him down without breaking the kiss. 

“Yer playin’ a fast game, huh, darlin’?” Jason voiced once they released each other to breath once more. Tim looked down at the elder, lips red and swollen and eyes that wonderfully glassy and dazed that had Jason wanting to see nothing else.

“I don’t know how I feel about you,” was Tim’s reply, voice breathy and raspy in the sexiest way, “but I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for you to do that.”

“Wish you’d said sooner, darlin’. Been waitin’ ferever ta do it, too.”

Tim kissed him again, now a little slower and with so much more feeling - lips and tongue telling Jason things the younger didn’t even know himself. And of course, Jason gave back as good as he got, holding Tim gently and running a hand through his hair, kissing him softly until Tim pulled back once more.

“I feel like this was very sudden,” he said after a beat, “I’ve only known you two days.”

“Ya’ve known me almost yer whole life, darlin’.” Jason chuckled, settling a hand on Tim’s lower back when the younger settled himself against his chest. “‘Nd I wish I’d know you all a’ mine, too.”

Tim hummed in agreement, eyes now closed as he rested his head in the crook of Jason’s neck. 

Jason sighed, content with the warm weight of Tim lay on top of him and the comfort of the bed and the heat of the cabin from the fire, allowing his own eyes to close with the knowledge that they would both probably fall asleep if they stayed there much longer. Let them, he thought, too comfortable to warrant moving.

He really should get dinner on, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick finally comes to find them when he starts to get hungry, sees them napping together and is none the wiser.
> 
> Also, my first time posting something this intimate - not sure how it turned out, so please let me know if you've any advise/comments about that.
> 
> Visit my Tumblr at the-sky-is-a-lie or come and chat on Discord at TheSkyIsALie.


	3. What The Myling Did

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jason is out hunting down the truth, Tim and Dick slow dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's even surprised that this is late anymore, I'm sorry. For what it's worth, my laptop broke and I have been through hell trying to buy replacement parts - and that was before I'd even got the chapter written.
> 
> Also, I did drew a picture for this story if anyone's interested.  
> https://the-sky-is-a-lie.tumblr.com/post/173852567244/finally-got-round-to-finishing-this-one-all-in-a?is_related_post=1
> 
> Please enjoy!

Dick watched lazily from where he was lounging on the plush sofa in the centre of the room as Jason fussed in the kitchen area - wiping down the countertops and organising the crockery. The elder sighed, absently wondering if his brother would ever get over his obsession with housework whenever he had nothing else to do with himself.

“He won’t be upset if you leave before he wakes up, you know.” Dick hummed, gaze still trailing after his brother’s form, “It’s not like you’ll be gone for too long, anyway.”

“Who says I was waitin’ around fer Timmy?” Jason replied with a huff, pushing the cutlery draw shut with a nudge of his hip.

“The look on your face does. You told me you were leaving half an hour ago, but you haven’t even put any socks on yet and you keep glancing over at the stairs.” Jason turned towards Dick, leaning against the kitchen counter as the elder spoke, folding his arms across his chest. Dick smiled, cocking an eyebrow when he continued, “Tryin’ to get a quick snog in before you go?”

Jason spluttered, Dick unable to contain his laugh.

“Ya knew?”

“Of course I knew, we’re all detectives here.” the eldest laughed, “Kind of jealous you got to him first, though. We’ve both been chasing after Timmy for months and you didn’t even tell me when you caught him.”

“Didn’t come up.” Jason shrugged, “Timmy ain’t completely clued in ta what’s goin’ on, anyway. Didn’t think it was fair ta get him involved in a game he can’t remember.”

“You didn’t come on to him then? Seize the opportunity when it was presented?”

“Was more where the situation took us, really.” Jason grinned, finally moving from the kitchen area to pace over to the rack that held three pairs of snowboots beside the cabin’s front door.

“Don’t think I’m giving up, though.” Dick hummed, turning back to whatever he had been doing on his phone before.

“Wouldn’t expect ya to.” was Jason’s reply as the younger began pulling on his socks and boots, preparing to leave the cabin, “Timmy’s had both a’ us wrapped ‘round his little finger fer ages, anyway.”  
___

It was late in the morning when Tim finally stired from the bedroom, the younger having been sleeping much more than usual over the days his brothers had been with him - something both Jason and Dick had counted as a blessing, as seeing their younger getting _any_ sleep was a miracle in itself.

Tim stumbled from the bedroom with a yawn, rubbing sleepily at his eyes as he padded down the wooden stairs. He was still dressed in the hoodie he had slept in, the clothing big enough to swallow him and sleeves long enough to cover his hands completely.

“Morning, sleeping beauty.” Dick greeted, eyes following Tim as the younger made his way into the kitchen area to make himself a cup of coffee, waving a hand at his elder brother silently as he did.

“Where’s Jay?” Tim asked, voice still a little rough from sleep as he took a sip from his mug once he had finished, moving back into the main room and flopping down on the sofa beside his brother - blinking wide, blue eyes up at Dick.

“He went out. He’s still suspicious of you getting caught up in something magic, so he said he wanted to go search the forest for anything that could have to do with that.”

“Is he okay out in the cold alone? Shouldn’t you have gone with him?”

Dick shrugged, slouching further back into the cushions of the sofa and tugging Tim into his side, mindful of the younger’s drink spilling. Tim settled against Dick easily.

“Jay trained in Russia and the Tibetan mountains for months before he became the Red Hood, so he’s used to the cold, and he’s almost completely fluent in Norwegian - we all are - and knows a decent amount of Swedish, too. He’ll be fine. Plus, we both decided we’d be happier keeping you in the cabin with at least one of us at all times, since you don’t remember any of your training right now.”

“We can all speak Norwegian?” Tim asked, apparently a little caught up on finding out talents he hadn’t known he possessed.

“We all speak a bunch of languages - it’s both useful and necessary in our line of work with how much we travel and how many people we speak to. Knowing languages fluently lets us go undercover in different countries and talk to a lot more people.”

“Do we go to Norway often?” Tim asked, brows furrowing before he added, “Are we in Norway now?”

“I think we're right on the border between Sweden and Norway - but we don't come here often, no. Norwegian is the best in-between of the other Scandinavian languages, so learning it lets us understand at least some of what people are saying in Swedish and Danish, too. You can’t hold a full conversation with someone, but it’s enough to get by in the country.”

Tim wiggled around a little from where he was tucked into Dick’s side, turning to face the elder a little better and resting his head on Dick’s shoulder,

“What other languages do I speak?”

“You speak a lot of East Asian languages almost fluently - Korean, Japanese and Mandarin you’re fluent in and I think you’re pretty good at Cantonese from learning it while actually in China. I think Bruce’s overall plan was to have at least one kid that could blend into the native population of almost every country - and since you clearly already look the part and knew a decent amount of Korean before you joined the family, you started learning most Asian languages.”

“Is Bruce kind of crazy?” Tim asked, tone a little raised in the innocence of the question, “Everything you two tell me about him having plans for everything we do and such make him sound kind of crazy.”

“I wouldn’t quite say he’s crazy.” Dick replied, amusement in his voice, “I think it’s more paranoia. Bruce’s been through a lot and then had to watch his kids go through even more, you know? I think he gets worse with every major thing that happens to any of us - the more danger we’re put in the more he wants to keep us from those situations and so the more contingency plans he has.”

Tim shuffled again, reaching forward to place his newly empty mug on the coffee table before the sofa, settling back and letting Dick wrap an arm warmly around his shoulders.

“Do I speak anything else?” he asked again after a few moments of quiet between the two, seemingly processing what his brother had just told him about the father he had yet to meet.

“French.” Dick answered quickly, “And _god_ do you sound sexy doing it.”

The sudden flush that washed over Tim’s face had the elder grinning as his little brother kept those pretty blue eyes trained on his hands bunched in the material of the stolen hoodie instead of looking up at Dick.

“Not lying, baby, your pretty voice was _made_ for French, I swear - so delicate. You’ve done overseas phone calls for the company in French and gone undercover in France before and I honestly could listen to you talking like that forever. You know enough Russian and Spanish to get by and some Italian, as well - and Norwegian, obviously. But your French is absolutely my favourite.”

“What about you?” Tim asked, still not looking up at Dick but instead beginning to play with the sleeve of the elder’s top on the arm he had draped over the younger’s shoulders. “What do you speak?”

“I speak Spanish, Russian and Norwegian almost fluently and Arabic and French conversationally.” Dick replied with a hum, pausing a moment to think, “I speak German and Mandarin pretty well, too, but that’s from learning them slowly from you and Jay.”

“Jay speaks some languages, too?”

“Oh, Jay speaks the most. He’s basically a natural at picking up languages and he traveled a tone while training before he came back to Gotham to start out as the Red Hood. Jason speaks Spanish, Russian, Dutch and German perfectly and then Arabic, Swedish, Japanese, Tibetan, French and Italian almost fluently. There’s probably a few he can speak conversationally that I’m forgetting or don’t even know about, too - you should ask him when he comes back. Like I said, Jason’s a natural linguist and everyone in the family’s jealous - although you don’t really struggle with them much, either.”

“There’s a lot of crossing over. At least two of us know most of the ones you listed.”

“Well, we prefer to go on missions together, especially if we’re going overseas - but Bruce and Dami speak a bunch and Steph and Cass and Babs - and then there’s everyone outside of the family, too. The idea is no matter where you need to go you can find at least one person that speaks one of the native languages of the country. It’s great for vacations, too.” Dick explained, smiling when Tim let out a small, huffed laugh.

“I don’t think I can remember how to speak any of them, though.” the younger replied after a moment of quiet had passed, his voice a little sullen.

“Don’t force yourself, baby. When we’ve gotten your memories back you’ll have no problem remembering any of them, and before then Jay and I can do all the talking if we need to.” Dick reassured him, tensing the arm he had around his brother’s shoulders to hold him a little closer.

“But what if I don’t get my memories back? You already said I don’t have any physical signs of a head injury - what if Jason can’t find anything to do with magic out there? Will I be like this forever if you can’t find out what caused it? Will I have to relearn everything from scratch? Will I even be able to?”

“Hey, hey, hey, baby - calm down, yeah?” Dick began to hush at the rising insecurity in Tim’s voice, hoisting the younger up to place him in his lap. Tim immediately relaxed into the movement, clearly having been needing the comfort and closer proximity. “Jay’s only looking now for precaution’s sake - if you don’t start to remember anything soon and we can’t find anything we’ll be taking you back to Gotham to have you looked over properly by a doctor and then Zannata, if we need. We’re going to get your memories back, baby, I promise.”

Dick held Tim tightly, beginning to slowly rock them both where they sat, running his fingers softly through the younger’s hair.

“And if by some tiny chance we can’t do it and there’s no way we can help you remember, then this is your fresh start - and you’ve got a huge family and many friends and an entire life to relearn about when we get home. And every single one of them is going to support you through it all.”

Tim remained silent, leaning to the side to fall completely against Dick’s chest and rest his head in the crook of the elder’s neck. They stayed like that - Tim held in the warm comfort of his elder brother’s strong arms and Dick steadily rocking them both, bathing in the chance to simply hold the little brother that he loved so much.

“You hungry?” Dick asked after the quiet had stretched on long enough for Tim to close his eyes and allow his breathing to even out a little. The younger hummed, not moving from his spot cradled in Dick’s arms until the elder began to shift him about, readying to stand. “Want anything in particular?”

Tim huffed, rolling to lay on his side in a little ball when Dick moved him off his lap completely, the elder standing to make his way over to the kitchen area. Tim peeped over the back of the sofa to watch his brother as Dick began to rummage through the fridge that sat in the corner, pulling out various items as he attempted to choose what they should eat, only to pause when he spotted something on the kitchen counter.

“Did you know we had a radio?” he asked, turning back to the sofa where the top of Tim’s head was visible. The younger nodded,

“You can only get two channels on it, though. One’s old 50’s music and the other’s some weird Russian conversation I’m not sure we should be able to hear.”

“Any music’s better than no music.” Dick replied, switching on the little radio and beginning to tune out the static. “I like old 50’s music, anyway - I used to dance to it with my parents when I was little.”

“I don’t mind it.” Tim hummed, finally pulling himself up from the sofa to follow after his brother into the kitchen as the melodies of a slow, old song played out from the little radio.

Dick began to sway to the music, Tim coming to stand beside him and look at the array of ingredients the elder had gotten out.

“Can you even cook? Jason always makes the food.” the younger mused, eyeing the fresh vegetables they had left and wondering if Dick even had anything planned.

“I can, but I don’t enjoy it like Jay does, so I usually don’t. Though, I was thinking we could just warm up that quinche Jay made the other night, if you want. It should probably be eaten soon, anyway.”

Tim nodded, watching as Dick quickly put away the things he had gotten out, instead pulling a little plate with the two remaining slices of quinche on it and placing it on the countertop beside the stove before turning the oven on to preheat for a minute.

Dick continued to sway to the music until the song changed, his eyes lighting up a little when another slow melody began.

“This was one of my parents favourites.” he smiled, taking a step towards Tim and holding out his hand in invitation. “C’mon, Timmy, dance with me?”

Tim took a brief moment to consider the offer, unsure of his own dancing abilities. But Dick seemed too happy to let down, and dancing with the elder for a little bit in the kitchen didn’t sound like a terrible idea.

The younger accepted Dick’s hand, placing his own fingers atop Dick’s wide palm and immediately being tugged gently against the elder’s chest - one arm winding around his waist and the other holding their clasped hands out.

Tim allowed himself to be moved in his brother’s arms - slowly spun and gently dipped as they moved about the little kitchen area and into the main room. Dick’s front was warm against him, breathing soft in his hair and arms strong around his smaller body, and Tim found himself feeling safe and content as he was lead about in steady steps - swaying to the smooth beat and slow melody and deep, crooning voice of the late 50’s singer.

It felt so familiar and yet so unusual, to enjoy such a moment with this man that claimed to be his brother and yet was so clearly so much more. No interaction Tim had experience with either Jason or Dick had been anything other than platonic, romantic - something in between. The three of them may call each other brothers, but they were obviously nothing of the sort.

Dick released Tim to spin him slowly before tugging him back in again, the younger moving with the directions like his body had done this before.

The song ended and Tim’s back bumped against the wooden wall beside the staircase - Dick stood tall and solid before him, grasp still secure around the younger’s waist and sturdy body pressed to Tim’s. The elder’s eyes caught pretty blue, reflecting the warmth of the cabin and a heat that was not tempretural as Dick slowly lowered himself to Tim’s height.

Tim’s mind slowed for a moment, failing to catch up with what was happening - the atmosphere too calm and heated at the same time, the heavy pool of longing deep within him stirring too suddenly and Dick’s face and body and _everything_ too close for the younger to be able to think clearly.

Dick drew nearer, eyes flickering down to Tim’s lips in a fast but purposefully unsubtle movement, head tilting to the right for a better angle of access but then moving no closer. Tim sucked in a quiet breath, searching through the thick want and desire in his brother’s eyes to the hesitation - the power that had paused in its wait for Tim to consent.

Dick’s arm tightened around Tim’s waist - curling further until his large hand could rest on the younger’s opposite hip, tugging Tim to arch into him and settle flushed against his chest, unable to escape the heat - but he would move no further until Tim showed him he wanted this too.

The world took pause, Tim working to breathe steadily as he brought the hand that had been rested against Dick’s shoulder along the elder’s neck, thin fingers curling through thick hair to cradle the back of Dick’s head and steadily draw him closer.

Their lips met in a firm press, Dick wasting no time in tipping Tim’s head back and turning the kiss heavy and heated, drawing Tim impossibly closer as their mouths moved together. A muted noise escaped the younger as Dick kissed him fervorously, Tim bringing his other hand up to wrap his arms around Dick’s neck - pushing up into the kiss on his tiptoes.

Dick pulled away for barely a second, catching a breath and taking in the beautiful sight of Tim with his newly flushed face and raw, kiss bitten lips before he dove back in, pushing the younger back harder against the wood of the wall.

Dick trailed his hands down Tim’s hips, curving over the gorgeous swell of his bum to grip the backs of his thighs with a gentle tug, never breaking the kiss as he licked into the younger’s mouth. Tim got the indication immediately, jumping with a strong grip still around Dick’s neck for the elder to catch him, lean legs wrapping around Dick’s hips and Dick keeping his brother pressed firm against the wall, kneading the flesh beneath his fingers.

“ _God_ , baby, you’re so fucking _sweet_.” Dick breathed into Tim’s mouth when they pulled apart just enough to catch their breath again.

“This is okay, right?” Tim asked, eyes fluttering closed when Dick started peppering kisses along his jaw and down his neck. “Because Jay already-”

“It’s fine, baby, it’s perfect.” Dick interrupted, speaking into the soft, sensitive skin of the younger’s throat, “Jay ‘nd I have been chasing you together, I promise. If you’ll take us both then we’ve both got you.”

Tim gasped, head tipping back when Dick bit down on the flesh of his shoulder, just above his collar bone where the neckline of his hoodie had slipped down, the elder accentuating his promise with a firm roll of his hips.

“ _Ah_ , Dick.” he panted, voice turning into a moan as the hum of pleasure he had been feeling suddenly began vibrating stronger and stronger. “I don’t- I don’t _know_ you like I should. I want you both, but I don’t know how I feel, I-”

“Shh, baby,” Dick hushed, pressing a firm, loving kiss to Tim’s cheek, “You don’t have to decide right now. You’ll know when you’ve got your memories - until then, just enjoy having what you want.”

Tim caught Dick’s lips again, kissing him with all the emotion he felt but could not understand, telling the elder exactly what he wanted in that moment when he returned the elder’s friction with a press of his hips. Dick groaned into the kiss, shifting Tim against him to get a better grip beneath the younger’s bum before pulling them both away from the wall without breaking the kiss, carrying Tim over to the sofa.

If Tim knew what he wanted in that moment, then who was Dick to deny him?  
___

Jason had been walking for hours with no real direction, trusting the tracks he left in the snow and the little compass in the pocket of his coat to guide his way back to the cabin.

The tales of folklore he had read had hinted at nothing that could have to do with Tim’s memory loss, but the nagging feeling in his stomach was enough to keep Jason working the same thoughts and convince him he was on the right track.

He hadn’t much of an idea what he was actually seeking when he had left the cabin - perhaps some sort of remains of a ritual or traces of a cast spell; but with hours of walking and nothing in sight but the same tall evergreens and pure snow, Jason was beginning to consider turning back for the day.

The wind began to pick up a little - dancing with the branches of the pine trees and whistling overhead. Jason frowned when the light of the sun disappeared above him, despite the sky having been mostly clear since that morning. The steady beat of his heart began to quicken with a building anxiousness when the snow that had been falling gently since he had set out suddenly thickened and the wind continued to pick up.

With a panicked glance behind him, Jason watched as the tracks he had been leaving disappeared in the rough weather as the winds swept them away and the heavy snow covered them. He could see less and less of the forest around him, visibility growing short as a blizzard began, and Jason found himself wondering if he’d be able to make it back to the cabin at all.

“ _You walk my forest in search of something._ ” the voice was loud but whispered, feminine and carried by the wind, as if spoken by the air itself. The words were spoken in some ancient form of Norwegian, the language old in a way no one had spoken in many decades, though with the similarities to the modern language, Jason replied,

“ _Who are you?_ ”

“ _I am a shogsfrun, keeper of the forest. You are the brother of the one that fell to the myling._ ” the voice answered still caught on the wind that surround Jason, the forest around him now lost in the white of the blizzard.

Whoever this was - this spirit of the forest - they knew what had happened to Tim. Jason felt a small tug of triumph at being right after trusting his own instincts to find out what had happened to his baby brother.

“ _What happened to him?_ ” he asked. He had never before heard of a _myling_ , though nor had he heard of a _shogsfrun_ , but he could only assume it was another sort of spirit that was a part of the forest.

“ _My woodlands have remained empty for decades - the only place that saw life was that cabin your brother took residence in. He was searching for something, often wandering my forest too long past sunset. It is not safe for a human here - too many haunt these lands that are friend to myself but enemy to your kind._ ”

The blizzard continued through the forest, but died around Jason - snow swirling and wind curling around him until he found himself caught in a bubble where the cold did not touch him. The spirit’s voice was clearer in the bubble, though still sounded airy and light in an inhuman way.

“ _I attempted to hold your brother off many a time. I brought heavy winds and blizzards to keep him inside whenever night would fall, though he is stubborn and would not stay._

“ _Mylings are ghosts of children - ones that have been left to die by their human family in the cold of the empty lands. Such a thing has not happened for many, many years in my forest and the myling that found your brother is the only child I have. Though, it had never seen a human before besides the mother that abandoned it and mistook your brother for such a person._ ”

“ _It thought he was its mother?_ ” Jason asked, staring into the blank white of the storm. The wind hummed, as if in thought.

“ _Myling are natured to seek burial from humans for them to pass on. My myling has never sort such a thing, as it has never been alone in these lands. Your brother did not know of the myling upon their meet, which lead my myling to think it had been not only abandoned, but forgotten by its mother._

“ _I had assumed the myling would simply kill your brother, as it is in their nature to do so when they become enraged by any human - but instead it stole his memories. I can only assume it wanted to see for itself if it was not the child of the one it thought to be its mother - but upon finding it could not see, it instead took your brother’s memories completely._ ”

“ _How do we get them back?_ ”

“ _The myling is a human child in both mind and manor, and has kept the memories it took. Assume a triad of something as precious, though I will speak to it upon nightfall and seek an arrangement._ ”

“ _Thank you. Should we assume there will be something to pay to you, as well?_ ” Jason asked, a little hesitantly. Dealing with any sort of otherworldly being was not particularly uncommon for their family, but prices for favours often came in high and he couldn’t be sure they would have enough to pay for the help they so clearly needed.

The wind curled, the whistling wavering until it rung like a high tuned laugh.

“ _My lands are barren and often dull. See the entertainment your brothers and yourself have provided as payment enough._ ”

The blizzard outside the bubble steadily began to dissipate, then - the snow lessening and the voice fading as the winds dropped.

“ _Return to your brothers, child, I will speak with you again. Do no leave your cabin once the sun has set._ ”

The wind fell away around Jason and the snow returned to the thin flakes that had been falling before the sudden storm. Jason huffed a sigh, stood seemingly where he had been before the shogsfrun had found him - turning where he stood to begin heading back to the cabin, only to startle when he found himself barely five paces from the clearing the cabin stood in.

The shogsfrun must have moved him in the bubble inside the blizzard, a thought that was a little unsettling, though Jason could be thankful for being saved the time of the hours walking back.

He needed to get inside and explain what had happened to his brothers. The shogsfrun had said to expect a trading price of something just as precious - but what could be as precious to the ghost of a child as the memories of its mother?

Though with any luck, the myling had by now realised Tim had nothing to do with it - but if what the shogsfrun said was true about myling keeping the nature of the children they once were, perhaps it wouldn’t matter. Once a child had created an attachment to someone, they often did not want to let go.

Jason made his way to the cabin, kicking the snow from his boots on the porch and tugging them off before opening the front door - being greeted by the sight of Tim curled into the far arm of the sofa, clearly freshly showered if his wet hair and usual bathrobe were any indication.

“Dick nearly burnt the cabin down.” Tim told him immediately, grin wide and cheeky.

“Tim!” came Dick’s mortified shout from the kitchen area, out of Jason’s view. Tim’s grin did not fade as he went on to explain,

“He left the oven on.”

“Bet you was the one distractin’ him, though, weren’t ya, darlin’?” Jason replied, amused, as he stepped into the cabin, leaving his snowboots out on the porch to dry as he shut the cold out and began removing his gloves and coat.

“He started it.” Tim argued, glancing over at where Dick was still in the kitchen - washing up if the sounds of clinking plates and water were any indication.

“Finished it, too.” was the elder’s response, glee clear in his voice. Tim threw one of the sofa pillows into the kitchen, the projectile hitting it’s mark if the whine Dick let out was any indication.

Jason hung his coat up, finally stepping round the corner to find Dick stood in the kitchen area with his hands buried in a sink full of bubbles and a pillow lying on the floor at his feet. He only raised a brow at the elder, unimpressed, before turning to make his way to the sofa, dropping down to sit beside Tim.

“So,” he began, relaxing when Tim leant against his side instinctually, “’m pretty sure I’ve found out where ya memories went, but I think it ain’t gonna be too easy gettin’ them back. We best get a bit a’ research goin’ and try ta get everythin’ worked out before tanight, yeah? Got a busy time ahead a’ us.”

Jason reached forward, pulling the laptop out from beneath the sofa and powering it on before turning to Tim, who was watching him with expectant eyes. He had some explaining to do - and then some memories to trade for.

He could only hope the price wouldn’t be something even more valuable than their younger’s memories already were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this has turned into at least a four chapter story. I hadn't originally planned for the introduction of magic and folklore, but who doesn't love a twist, right?
> 
> Anyway, questions are welcome and I've never written anything that's quite like this chapter, so any feedback would be very much appreciated (and motivating).
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear what everyone thinks, so please drop a comment if you have the time! The next chapter should be up within a week or two.
> 
> Visit my Tumblr at the-sky-is-a-lie or come and chat on Discord at TheSkyIsALie.


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